Presidential Task Force On Covid-19 Tips Politicians

By Ireen Kayira

The Presidential task force on Covid 19 has encouraged political parties to use a different approach when conducting campaign rallies to fight Covid-19.

Since the campaign period was launched for the fresh elections, there has been high numbers of people patronising the rallies posing a threat to the spread of Covid-19.

Speaking with the Malawi News Agency (MANA), Co-Chairperson for the presidential taskforce on Covid-19, Dr John Phuka said politics is extremely important as such the taskforce is aware that politicians have to deal with the challenge.

“What we are encouraging is that they should come to a point where they have innovations of reaching out and communicating whatever they want to communicate in a different way that does not put the society at risk,” Phuka said.

He said the approach of the task force since it was commissioned last week is calling for engagement with the politicians.

“We have in the committee representatives of the main political parties who have been assigned with some messages to their party pertaining to Covid-19 and the campaign.

He said apart from the representatives the committee itself wants to talk to the different leaders of the political parties on the same.

He further said the task force continues to condemn the gatherings in the rallies and further continue to promote social and physical distance.

“We continue to send the messages as well as encourage the nation to go towards all procedures and strategies that support physical and social distance,” Phuka said.

The task force had their second meeting on Thursday partly to discuss elements of the code of conduct, gather aspects of the intervention and mitigation elements.